Quick Start Guide for Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance (NGA) 3140

This guide explains how to quickly set up and configure the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance using the graphical user interface (GUI). The Quick Start section summarizes the steps you need to perform and references detailed instructions, if you require them, on how to prepare your site for installation, install the appliance hardware in an equipment rack, install and configure a single monitor instance, and troubleshoot the appliance.

Warranty, service, and support information is located in the Cisco Information Packet that is shipped with your appliance.

You can direct packets to the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance using either or both of the following methods:

•A Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) session (also known as port mirroring) from the Cisco Nexus or Catalyst device to Cisco NGA using the Nexus supervisor command line interface. Port mirroring selects network traffic for analysis by a network analyzer.

•A network tap. A network tap is a hardware device which provides a copy of the data that flows across a network link.

See your router or switch device documentation for details on how to set up these monitoring configurations.The SPAN function or a hardware network tap from any Ethernet link can support multiple network devices.

The appliance includes an embedded, web-based GUI that provides quick access to the configuration menus and presents easy-to-access administrative information about your appliance.

This warning symbol means danger. You are in a situation that could cause bodily injury. Before you work on any equipment, be aware of the hazards involved with electrical circuitry and be familiar with standard practices for preventing accidents. Use the statement number provided at the end of each warning to locate its translation in the translated safety warnings that accompanied this device. Statement 1071

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

Warning Only trained and qualified personnel should be allowed to install, replace, or service this equipment. Statement 1030

Use Figure 1 to determine which physical interface on Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance (indicated by the location 1) to use when connecting it to the network. Figure 2 depicts the front panel and indicates where to connect your console cable. For a description of all components on the front and rear panels of your appliance, see Cisco.com.

•Create one or more Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) sessions (also known as port mirroring) from the Nexus device to Cisco NGA using the Nexus supervisor command line interface.

Then verify replication via the SPAN destination of the Cisco Nexus switch, by entering on the switch console:

show interface ethernet <module>/<port>

•Connect a network tap.

See your router or switch device documentation for details on how to set up this monitoring configuration. For details on how to optionally configure the IP address of your switch as a managed device, see the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance User Guide.

Step 6 To access the console remotely, connect the COM1 serial port to a terminal server. See location number 5 in Figure 1.

Step 7 To access the console locally using a monitor and keyboard, connect the KVM cable to the front panel. See location number 4 in Figure 2.

Figure 2 Front Panel Cisco NGA

Table 3 Front Panel

Location Number

Description

Location Number

Description

1

DVD drive/DVD activity LED

5

Reset button.

Caution Do not use. This button is for development degugging only. This resets memory and CPU settings to the defaults.

2

Hard drive/HDD fault LED (two HDD in appliance/up to 4 allowed)

6

Operations panel LEDs, left to right:

Power supply LED

Memory LED

CPU LED

Network acitivity LED

System fault LED

3

HDD activity LED

7

Identification locator button/Locator LED

4

KVM console port. Use with supplied KVM cable to connect a keyboard and VGA monitor (optional).

8

Power button/Power status LED. Use only when a forced shutdown is necessary. Hold down for several seconds until light is no longer lit with a green color.

Step 8 Plug in the power cable on the rear of the appliance. See location number 8 in Figure 1.

Step 9 Power on the appliance. Make sure you do not turn on the power until you have completed all cable connections for the Cisco NGA.

See location 8 in Figure 2 for the location of the Power button. Power status LED corresponds to the following states:

After you turn power on and boot Cisco NGA for the first time, the login prompt displays on the attached console.

Step 10 Log into appliance. Use root as user and root as password.

The system prompts you to change the password. When shipped from the factory, the root user is preconfigured on Cisco NGA. The default password for the root user is root. The root user has privileged access to the root (read/write) level of Cisco NGA and can enter command-line interface (CLI) commands.

Note We require you to change the user root password during the first login session. Use a password that contains at least eight characters and contains numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and symbols.

Step 11 Enter the following information using the ip CLI command:

•Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance's management address.

•The subnet mask.

•The default gateway IP address.

•(Optional) The primary DNS server IP address.

Step 12 Enter show ip to verify that you entered the correct network settings.

The web server requires at least one properly-configured web administrator. If the appliance does not prompt you for a web username and password, then at least one web administrator was previously configured.

Enter the username of the web administrator. Press Enter to use the default web administrator username admin.

Enter a password for the web administrator, then reenter the same password again to ensure accuracy.

Step 14 Load the user interface for Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance in a web browser, for example, enter http://<NetFlow_Generation_Appliance_management_address>. You can use the fully-qualified domain name that you configured in Step 11 for the appliance name or Cisco NGA IP address.

Configure Your Appliance to Export NetFlow V5 or V9 Records

This section describes how to quickly configure a single NetFlow monitor instance (monitor, exporter, and collector) on one instead of multiple web pages using the Quick Setup graphical user interface (GUI).

The Advanced Setup GUI allows you to configure multiple NetFlow monitor instances in separate windows. You can also configure filters that will limit the amount of traffic from the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance to the collectors you designate from the Advanced Setup GUI. To configure IPv6 or Layer2 records, you must use the Advanced Setup tab or the CLI. This guide covers only quick setup details. To complete any of the configuration scenarios described above, see the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance User Guide .

In more diverged network traffic environments, Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance is capable of processing and generating NetFlow records for a mixture of IPv4 and IPv6 traffic.

NetFlow v5 supports only IPv4. V9 is template-based and is used to report flows like IPv6, MPLS, or IPv4.

This configuration enables Cisco NGA to monitor the data ports and export v5 or v9 NetFlow records of either IPv4, IPv6, or both flow data to a specified collector.

Follow the procedure below and use the online help if you need additional details. You can also use CLI commands to configure the appliance.

For v9 records, select your desired match and collect fields in the Quick Setup pane. This allows you to configure flow records for IPv4 only. IPv6 record is available in the Advanced Setup only. See online help for details.

If you have a more advanced requirements, for example, you need to configure IPv6 records, you must manually add the components using the Advanced Setup window. See the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance User Guide for complete details on this configuration.

Step 3 Click Submit.

The Monitor tab appears displaying the newly added name_monitor.

Step 4 To activate the flow monitor, choose the monitor you created in the Monitor tab and click Activate/Inactivate. This enables the flow monitor to generate NetFlow information to the collector.

Verify Flow Records Generated

To verify flow records have reached their destination, check the collector data by entering both of the following commands:

•show cache statistics rates monitor_name command. Counters begin to increment only after a minute has passed. This command displays the rate of raw traffic being processed and the number of flows being created and forwarded to the exporter engine.

•show collector statistics collector_namecommand. This displays the information about NetFlow packets being sent to the collector.

After you verify that the collector has received the flow record data, you have completed the quick start configuration. To configure additional monitor instances, repeat the quick start configuration or review the steps in the User Guide on how to configure multiple monitor instances using the Advanced Setup.

How to Shut Down and Start Up Cisco NGA

If you must shut down the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance for maintenance purposes, use the shutdown command in the CLI.

Do not use the Cisco NGA Power button unless the shutdown command is unsuccessful. Remember to disconnect the power cords from the power supply to completely power off the appliance.

Preparing for Installation—Details

This section contains detailed instructions and reference information on the following:

The preparation for installation of the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance is similar to the Cisco UCS C200 M1 instructions. If you are already familiar with this server, then installing the Cisco NGA may use the same safety, preparation, and installation instructions where noted.

Caution Do not disassemble or open the appliance. Failure to comply will void the warranty. Only supported field replaceable units are allowed in the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance. See the Cisco Ordering Guide on Cisco.com for more details.

Safety Guidelines

Before you install the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance, review the safety guidelines in this section and Install the Appliance In a Rack to avoid injuring yourself or damaging the equipment.

General Precautions

Observe the following general precautions for using and working with your appliance:

•Observe and follow service markings. Do not service any Cisco product except as explained in your appliance documentation. Opening or removing covers that are marked with the triangular symbol with a lightning bolt might expose you to electrical shock. Components inside these compartments should be serviced only by an authorized service technician.

•If any of the following conditions occur, unplug the product from the electrical outlet and replace the part or contact your authorized service provider:

–The power cable, extension cord, or plug is damaged.

–An object has fallen into the product.

–The product has been exposed to water.

–The product has been dropped or damaged.

–The product does not operate correctly when you follow the operating instructions.

•Do not spill food or liquids on your appliance, and never operate the product in a wet environment.

•Do not push any objects into the openings of your appliance. Doing so can cause fire or electric shock by shorting out interior components.

•Use the product only with other equipment approved by Cisco.

•Allow the product to cool before removing covers or touching internal components.

•Use the correct external power source. Operate the product only from the type of power source indicated on the electrical ratings label. If you are not sure of the type of power source required, consult your service representative or local power company.

•Use only approved power cables. If you have not been provided with a power cable for your appliance or for any AC-powered option intended for your appliance, purchase a power cable that is approved for use in your country. The power cable must be rated for the product and for the voltage and current marked on the product's electrical ratings label. The voltage and current rating of the cable should be greater than the ratings marked on the product.

•To help prevent electric shock, plug the appliance and power cables into properly grounded electrical outlets. These cables are equipped with three-prong plugs to help ensure proper grounding. Do not use adapter plugs or remove the grounding prong from a cable. If you must use an extension cord, use a three-wire cord with properly grounded plugs.

•Observe extension cord and power strip ratings. Make sure that the total ampere rating of all products plugged into the extension cord or power strip does not exceed 80 percent of the extension cord or power strip ampere ratings limit.

•Do not use appliance or voltage converters or kits sold for appliances with your product.

•To help protect your appliance from sudden, transient increases and decreases in electrical power, use a surge suppressor, line conditioner, or uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

•Position cables and power cords carefully; route cables and the power cord and plug so that they cannot be stepped on or tripped over. Be sure that nothing rests on your appliance cables or power cord.

•Do not modify power cables or plugs. Consult a licensed electrician or your power company for site modifications. Always follow your local or national wiring rules.

Safety with Equipment

The following guidelines will help ensure your safety and protect the equipment. However, this list does not include all potentially hazardous situations, so be alert.

Warning Read the installation instructions before connecting the system to the power source. Statement 1004

•Always disconnect all power cords and interface cables before moving the appliance.

•Never assume that power is disconnected from a circuit; always check.

•Keep the appliance chassis area clear and dust-free before and after installation.

•Keep tools and assembly components away from walk areas where you or others could fall over them.

•Do not work alone if potentially hazardous conditions exist.

•Do not perform any action that creates a potential hazard to people or makes the equipment unsafe.

•Do not wear loose clothing that might get caught in the appliance chassis.

•Wear safety glasses when working under conditions that might be hazardous to your eyes.

Safety with Electricity

Warning This unit is intended for installation in restricted access areas. A restricted access area can be accessed only through the use of a special tool, lock and key, or other means of security. Statement 1017

Warning Do not touch the power supply when the power cord is connected. For systems with a power switch, line voltages are present within the power supply even when the power switch is off and the power cord is connected. For systems without a power switch, line voltages are present within the power supply when the power cord is connected. Statement 4

Warning Before working on equipment that is connected to power lines, remove jewelry (including rings, necklaces, and watches). Metal objects will heat up when connected to power and ground and can cause serious burns or weld the metal object to the terminals. Statement 43

Warning Before working on a chassis or working near power supplies, unplug the power cord on AC units; disconnect the power at the circuit breaker on DC units. Statement 12

Warning Do not work on the system or connect or disconnect cables during periods of lightning activity. Statement 1001

Warning This equipment is intended to be grounded. Ensure that the host is connected to earth ground during normal use. Statement 39

Warning When installing or replacing the unit, the ground connection must always be made first and disconnected last. Statement 1046

Follow these guidelines when working on equipment powered by electricity:

•Locate the room's emergency power-off switch. Then, if an electrical accident occurs, you can quickly turn off the power.

•Disconnect all power before doing the following:

–Working on or near power supplies

–Installing or removing an appliance

–Performing most hardware upgrades

•Never install equipment that appears damaged.

•Carefully examine your work area for possible hazards, such as moist floors, ungrounded power extension cables, and missing safety grounds.

•Never assume that power is disconnected from a circuit; always check.

•Never perform any action that creates a potential hazard to people or makes the equipment unsafe.

•Never work alone when potentially hazardous conditions exist.

•If an electrical accident occurs, proceed as follows:

–Use caution, and do not become a victim yourself.

–Turn off power to the appliance.

–If possible, send another person to get medical aid. Otherwise, determine the condition of the victim, and then call for help.

•When unpacking a static-sensitive component from its shipping carton, do not remove the component from the antistatic packing material until you are ready to install the component in your appliance. Just before unwrapping the antistatic packaging, be sure to discharge static electricity from your body.

•When transporting a sensitive component, first place it in an antistatic container or packaging.

•Handle all sensitive components in a static-safe area. If possible, use antistatic floor pads and workbench pads.

•Ensure that the appliance is electrically connected to earth ground.

•Wear an ESD-preventive wrist strap, ensuring that it makes good skin contact. Connect the clip to an unpainted surface of the appliance to channel unwanted ESD voltages safely to ground. To guard against ESD damage and shocks, the wrist strap and cord must operate effectively.

•If no wrist strap is available, ground yourself by touching a metal part of the appliance.

Caution For the safety of your equipment, periodically check the resistance value of the antistatic wrist strap. It should be between 1 and 10 Mohm.

Lifting Guidelines

The appliance weighs approximately 33 lbs. The appliance is not intended to be moved frequently. Before you install the appliance, ensure that your site is properly prepared so you can avoid having to move the appliance later to accommodate power sources and network connections.

Whenever you lift the appliance or any heavy object, follow these guidelines:

•Always disconnect all external cables before lifting or moving the appliance.

•Ensure that your footing is solid, and balance the weight of the object between your feet.

•Lift the appliance slowly; never move suddenly or twist your body as you lift.

•Keep your back straight and lift with your legs, not your back. If you must bend down to lift the appliance, bend at the knees, not at the waist, to reduce the strain on your lower back muscles.

•Lift the appliance from the bottom; grasp the underside of the appliance exterior with both hands.

Warning Installation of the equipment must comply with local and national electrical codes.Statement 1074

When you are installing a appliance, use the following guidelines:

•Plan your site configuration and prepare the site before installing the appliance. Since the Cisco NGA is based on the UCS C200 M1 server, you can see the Cisco UCS Site Preparation Guide for the recommended site planning tasks.

•Ensure that there is adequate space around the appliance to allow for servicing the appliance and for adequate airflow. The airflow in this appliance is from front to back.

•Ensure that the cabinet or rack meets the requirements listed in the Rack Requirements.

•Ensure that the site power meets the power requirements listed in the Appliance Specifications. If available, you can use an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to protect against power failures.

Caution Avoid UPS types that use ferroresonant technology. These UPS types can become unstable with systems such as the Cisco UCS, which can have substantial current draw fluctuations from fluctuating data traffic patterns.

Equipment Requirements

The slide rails supplied by Cisco Systems for this appliance do not require tools for installation. The inner rails (mounting brackets) are pre-attached to the sides of the appliance.

Install the Appliance In a Rack

This section describes how to install the appliance in a rack.

Warning To prevent bodily injury when mounting or servicing this unit in a rack, you must take special precautions to ensure that the system remains stable. The following guidelines are provided to ensure your safety:This unit should be mounted at the bottom of the rack if it is the only unit in the rack.When mounting this unit in a partially filled rack, load the rack from the bottom to the top with the heaviest component at the bottom of the rack.If the rack is provided with stabilizing devices, install the stabilizers before mounting or servicing the unit in the rack. Statement 1006

To install the slide rails and the appliance into a rack:

Procedure

Step 1 Open the front securing latch (see Figure 3). The end of the slide-rail assembly marked "FRONT" has a spring-loaded securing latch that must be open before you can insert the mounting pegs into the rack-post holes.

a. On the rear side of the securing-latch assembly, hold open the clip marked "PULL."

Use the "FRONT" and "REAR" markings on the slide-rail assembly to orient the assembly correctly with the front and rear rack posts.

b. Position the front mounting pegs so that they enter the desired front rack-post holes from the front.

Note The mounting pegs that protrude through the rack-post holes are designed to fit round or square holes, or smaller #10-32 round holes when the mounting peg is compressed. If your rack has #10-32 rack-post holes, align the mounting pegs with the holes and then compress the spring-loaded pegs to expose the #10-32 inner peg.

c. Expand the length-adjustment bracket until the rear mounting pegs protrude through the desired holes in the rear rack post.

Use your finger to hold the rear securing latch open when you insert the rear mounting pegs to their holes. When you release the latch, it wraps around the rack post and secures the slide-rail assembly.

Figure 4 Attaching a Slide-Rail Assembly

1

Front-left rack post

4

Length-adjustment bracket

2

Front mounting pegs

5

Rear mounting pegs

3

Slide-rail assembly

6

Rear securing latch

d. Attach the second slide-rail assembly to the opposite side of the rack. Ensure that the two slide-rail assemblies are level and at the same height with each other.

e. Pull the inner slide rails on each assembly out toward the rack front until they hit the internal stops and lock in place.

Step 3 Insert the appliance into the slide rails:

Note The inner rails are pre-attached to the sides of the appliance at the factory. You can order replacement inner rails if these are damaged or lost (Cisco PID UCSC-RAIL1-I).

a. Align the inner rails that are pre-attached to the appliance sides with the front ends of the empty slide rails.

b. Push the appliance into the slide rails until it stops at the internal stops.

c. Push in the plastic release clip on each inner rail (labelled PUSH), and then continue pushing the appliance into the rack until its front latches engage the rack posts.

Install SFP+ Modules

SFP+ Module Overview

The Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance uses up to four 10 Gigabit Ethernet small form-factor pluggable modules (Cisco 10GBASE SFP+ modules) to connect fiber optical cables as data input sources. You can install any combination of long-range and short-range SFP+ modules. Depending on the type of SFP+ you use, you must use the correct fiber optical cables. The SFP of the interface at the monitored device must be the same type as the monitoring port you connect to on the Cisco NGA.

You can order SFP+ as hardware options or you can use SFPs you might already own as long as they meet the specifications described in the Cisco 10GBASE SFP+ Modules Data Sheet Because SFPs are delicate devices, they are packaged separately and are not installed in the appliance prior to shipping. The Cisco NGA supports both the short range and long range Cisco standard SFP+ (10G SFP).

You install the SFP+ modules into slots on the rear panel of the Cisco NGA. Make sure you review the slot locations for data ports 1 through 4 as they are not numbered logically (see Figure 3). Figure 5 shows a detailed view of an SFP+ module installation.

Figure 5 Installing an SFP+ Module

1

SFP slot in rear panel

2

SFP+ positioned for rear panel slot

The SFP+ module uses the bail clasp latching mechanism as shown unlatched in Figure 6 and latched in Figure 7. See the label on the SFP+ for technology type and model.

Troubleshooting Overview

•External power cable is connected, and the proper power source is being applied.

•The appliance fan and blower are operating.

•The appliance software boots successfully.

•The adapter cards (if installed) are properly installed in their slots, and each initializes (is enabled by the appliance software) without problems.

When each of these conditions is met, the hardware installation is complete, and you should proceed to perform a basic configuration (see the software installation guideoruser guide that supports your appliance for proper configuration procedures).

If you cannot locate the source of the problem, contact a customer service representative for information on how to proceed. For technical support information, see the CiscoInformation Packet publication that shipped with your appliance. Before you call, have the following information ready:

•Brief description of the problem you are having and the steps you have taken to isolate and resolve the problem

Note Ensure you provide the customer service representative with any upgrade or maintenance information that was performed on the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance after your initial installation. We recommend you create a site log that contains a description of the actions performed on your appliance as well as the date and responsible user.

Problem Solving

The key to problem solving is to isolate the problem to a specific location by comparing what the Cisco NetFlow Generation Appliance is doing to what it should be doing.

In other words, when troubleshooting, define the specific symptoms, identify all potential problems that could be causing the symptoms, and then systematically eliminate each potential problem (from most likely to least likely) until the symptoms disappear.

Note The LEDs on the front panel of the appliance enable you to determine appliance performance and operation. For a description of these LEDs, see the "Read the LEDs" section.

When problem solving, check the following appliance subsystems first:

•Power and cooling systems—External power source, AC power cable or DC power wires, and appliance fans. Also check for inadequate ventilation, air circulation, or environmental conditions.

•Adapter cards—Checking the LEDs on the adapter card can help you to identify a failure.

•Cables—Ensure that the external cables connecting the appliance to the network are all secure.

•Amber and Green, blinking—This power supply has reached a Warning over-temperature condition: 176 °F (80 °C). The power supply auto-recovers from this condition when the temperature is within specification again: 167 °F (75 °C)

•Amber—This power supply has failed. This could be because the power supply has reached a Critical Shutdown over-temperature condition: 194 °F (90 °C). The power supply auto-recovers from this condition when the temperature is within specification again: 167 °F (75 °C).

Locator

•Off—Not in use.

•Blue, flashing—The Locator LED button on the front panel was pressed and the Locator LED flashes on the front and rear panels to help you find the server in a rack.

Built-In NIC LEDs

Figure 8 shows the NIC 1 and NIC 2 LEDs located on the rear of the appliance. These LEDs indicate the connection activity and speed of the NIC ports. Table 10 describes the activity and connection speed associated with each LED state. The 10 Gb Ethernet link status LED and the speed LED must be read in combination for the following interpretations.

Product Documentation

We sometimes update the documentation after original publication. Therefore, you should also review the documentation on Cisco.com for any updates.

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional information, see the monthly What's New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and revised Cisco technical documentation, at:

Subscribe to the What's New in Cisco Product Documentation as an RSS feed and set content to be delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a free service. Cisco currently supports RSS Version 2.0.

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